As midterms roll around, students are feeling the pressure.
As midterms roll around, students are feeling the pressure. Whether it’s an upcoming paper that you haven’t finished, an exam that feels overwhelming or just a bunch of little assignments that are piling up, it can sometimes feel like you can’t do this on your own.
While most college students put in the work, many are turning to prescription drugs to help them do better.
According to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a subsidiary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 6.4 percent of college students have taken Adderall — a drug used to help remedy ADHD — non-medically in the past year. The same study said college students were twice as likely to take the drugs than those who do not attend college.
Of course, the health risks that come with taking unprescribed drugs are steep. But taking prescription drugs like Adderall or Ritalin without a prescription is a form of cheating — just as bad as a professional athlete taking steroids. While you still have to do the work, it is significantly easier to get results when drugs act as performance-enhancers.
Although Ohio University housing prohibits the use of illegal prescription drugs in dorms, I don’t think there are enough efforts to educate students about the consequences of their actions. For instance, prolonged use of Adderall can increase cardiovascular problems and strokes, and can lead to depression, paranoia and hostility. Adderall dependence may exhibit all the physical manifestations of stress, like headaches and increased sweating.
I think that professors need to make it clear to students about the risks of taking a few pills recreationally. While it might sound attractive to be able to binge-study, it comes with risks that far outweigh whatever the perceived benefits may be.
mo403411@ohio.edu
